Integrity
by Thn0715
Summary: Post-Ep for "200". Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner and Section Chief Mateo Cruz come to an understanding about trust. *WINNER: BEST CHARACTERIZATION OF AARON HOTCHNER - 2014 PROFILER'S CHOICE AWARDS*


_**A/N: Hi gang! I said a while back that I wouldn't let "200" pass without a post-ep. It's taken me a while because, let's face it, they covered damn near everything in that ep! I loved every second of it, so deciding what to cover in a post-ep has been difficult. But I finally got something. I hope you enjoy!**_

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><p><strong>Integrity<strong>

Section Chief Mateo Cruz woke groggy and disoriented. His head swam and his mouth felt like he'd swallowed cotton balls. His body was stiff and the bright lights in the room hurt his eyes. He vaguely remembered being rescued but he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been kidnapped and drugged again.

A repetitive beeping broke through his thoughts, and he knew he was in a hospital. He was alive. He was in pain. A lot of pain. But he was alive. As his head began to clear his thoughts went to JJ. Where was JJ? Did she make it? Was she okay? His breathing quickened and his heart rate went up, increasing that incessant beeping noise. He tried to sit up but the searing pain in his abdomen knocked him back down.

"Easy," a calming voice said as a firm hand laid on his chest keeping him down. "I know how that stab wound feels, believe me."

He gasped and grimaced, clinching his eyes closed before cracking them open again and putting a face to the voice. "Hotch?"

"Welcome back."

"JJ?" he struggled. "Where's JJ?"

"JJ's fine. She was checked out by doctors and released last night. She's okay."

He relaxed and attempted to take a deep breath, the pain waking him up more. He took a sip of water from the plastic cup Hotch held in front of him. "I talked to her in the ambulance," he remembered.

"That's right," Hotch confirmed.

"She's okay."

"She's okay," Hotch said, watching his Section Chief closely. "You and I need to talk."

"I know what you're going to say, Hotch."

"Do you? Because I don't think you do."

"You know about Integrity."

"I do," Hotch nodded. "And I want to talk about integrity, but not the database."

Cruz furrowed his brow. "I'm not following you."

"I'm talking about the integrity of my team, Chief Cruz. An integrity that's been compromised as of late."

Cruz sighed but stayed silent, giving his Unit Chief his full attention.

"This team is successful because we trust each other unconditionally. Without that trust, we're all compromised, not just in the office but in the field. If we're constantly questioning each other, we can't do this job. Too many times we've crossed that line and broken that trust with each other. And every time we work hard to rebuild that trust, but the foundation is never quite as strong as it was before. Secrets always come back to haunt this team, Chief Cruz. My own are no exception. Neither are yours."

"You know why we couldn't tell you, Hotch."

"With all due respect, sir, when it comes to my team, nothing is classified."

"Aaron..."

"I cannot protect my team if I don't know what's going on in my own backyard," he cut him off. "We've come too close to losing too many people and it could have been avoided by a few simple conversations. We could have helped Emily locate Doyle instead of her going in with no backup and nearly getting killed. I should have told the others about Emily's "death" but instead they were all blindsided by her return and I nearly lost my entire team. We were fractured to the point that I had no idea if we'd ever heal. And had Strauss told me up front that JJ's transfer was a backstop, I could have done something to smooth it over with everyone. Instead she got ripped out from under us and it nearly crushed us."

He paused to take a breath and shook his head. "Do you have any idea how it felt to look Will in the eye and admit that I had no idea what was going on with his wife when he entrusts me to protect her everyday, when Henry puts his mom's life in my hands everyday?"

"I understand your position. I understand you want to protect your unit."

"It's not just my unit, Mateo. This is my family. This is my son's family."

"I know how close you all are. I've known since you called JJ and she left the Middle East to help you find Emily. I saw it first hand the first case I worked with you. You are no ordinary unit."

"No, we're not."

"You know I can't make any promises, Hotch," he said. "In some cases my hands are tied. I know you understand that."

"I understand the politics. I know you were assigned Section Chief to keep you and JJ close because of this case. But like JJ said last night, no more lies. The integrity of this team depends on it. I don't need to know details. But I do need to know when something's up. I need to know when to be more alert with regards to my team's safety. That includes your safety. You're a part of this team now, too."

"It's not your job to protect me, Hotch. It's my job to protect you."

The Unit Chief and the Section Chief got quiet, both absorbing the importance of what was said. Cruz understood Hotch's position and his desire to protect his team. He'd read all their files. He knew the things they'd faced, the trials they'd overcome. He knew Hotch's propensity to always shoulder blame when things didn't work in their favor. But whereas Hotch had a Unit to protect, it was Cruz' job to protect his Unit Chiefs. He would grant Hotch whatever knowledge he could to keep his people safe. But at the same time, if he had to keep a few things close to the vest to protect his Unit Chief, then that's the way it would be.

Before they could speak further, a doctor came in to check on Chief Cruz' condition. Hotch got up to leave and give them some privacy.

"Get some rest," he said. "We can talk more later."

"Hotch," Cruz called out as he'd reached the door.

"Sir?" he turned.

The two met eyes and, without words, knew they had an understanding. They each nodded, and Hotch left the Section Chief with his doctors.

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><p><strong><em>End<em>**


End file.
